I'm really pleased with the defense Mendenhall has put together during his
tenure at BYU. However, I want the Cougars to get back to its roots, which
includes an incredible offense. The latter includes quarterbacks with accurate
arms supported by a strong offensive line and great wide receivers. I'm
reserving judgment on Anae, but I hope he is better the second time around. His
offensive plays were too predictable and his play book was too small during his
first stint in Provo.

"I'm reserving judgment on Anae,
but I hope he is better the second time around. His offensive plays were too
predictable and his play book was too small during his first stint in
Provo"

Yeah, those ranked teams and Top 25 Offenses were just
horrible, and you are a genius.

From the official BYU website:

"During Anae’s first tenure as offensive coordinator at BYU,
the Cougar offense was extremely successful, earning top-25 NCAA statistical
rankings in 10 different offensive categories a total of 35 times, including 15
top-10 ratings. BYU ranked in the top 25 in third-down efficiency each of
Anae’s six seasons, including a No. 1 ranking in 2009 and No. 2 ratings in
2008 and 2006. The Cougars were in the top-6 in passing offense three times
(2005, 2006, 2008) in his six seasons overseeing the BYU attack."

While Bronco is an excellent defensive coach, Anae became a scapegoat for
Bronco's shortcomings as a head coach. I am surprised and pleased he
returned, and hope both he and Bronco have improved in their respective
positions.

I know you were being tongue-in-cheek about the "penny" formation with
Van Noy, but the reason he can utilize his awesome talents so effectively is
because of the other ten guys on the field playing their role so well, coupled
with the great coaching they get. I'm encouraged that we could be entering
a new era for BYU football - more visibility, better players, and more seasoned
coaching.

The reason the Edwards-era teams did so consistently well,
even after they started playing much better teams, was in large measure due to
the experience of the coaches. Edwards was an offense guy, so it's natural
that was what he knew best and he had stellar offenses year-in-year out.
Mendenhall is a defense guy, so it's natural that he knows that best and
will have stellar defenses year-in-year out. Add to that the seasoning and
additional experience of Anae, and we have the makings for some great teams in
the coming years.

The stats that you rattled off from BYU's website do
not impress me. I work with high school coaches in the state of California that
are consistently in the top 5 in the state. They are that successful because of
the complexity of their play books, their unpredictability and trick plays on
offense. My friends scratched their heads when they saw some of Anae's play
calling during his first stint at BYU. I scratched my head as well on more than
a few occasions. Furthermore, if he was that good of an offensive coordinator at
BYU, he would have jumped into another offensive coordinator or head coaching
position when he left BYU. Instead, he took a demotion at Arizona. I hope he
learned a lot under Coach Rodriguez at Arizona. On top of being willing to give
him the benefit of the doubt, I'm willing to do it for 3-5 years because he
has a lot of rebuilding to do since be found the offense in shambles.

"The reason the Edwards-era teams did so
consistently well, even after they started playing much better teams, was in
large measure due to the experience of the coaches. Edwards was an offense guy,
so it's natural that was what he knew best and he had stellar offenses
year-in-year out."

Lavell Edwards was the Defensive Coordinator
before he became the head coach, this again found on byucougars dot com.

The moderators can only filter for rude and demeaning, and given the
prominence of some commenters we can all name, they don't do a very good
job of that. Please police yourselves for the accuracy or logic of your
comments.

UV Guy does of course bring up the good point that a team is only as good as its
weakest player. We have a good collection of team players on defense. Kafusi
will bring great things. So will Hadley. The holes are in the secondary, but
hopefully some people can step through for us. Also, for all the Anae
detractors, keep in mind that while the offense was relatively predictable, it
was also hard to stop. It is like standing on the train tracks. Yes, I can well
predict exactly where the train will be and when it will come; stopping the
train is another matter.

Well, I didn't know you
know HIGH SCHOOl coaches from CALIFORNIA! I stand corrected! Everyone knows
high school coaches are smarter than college coaches, and all BYU alums knows
Californians are smarter and better than everyone else, because anyone who has
attended BYU has heard many, many Californians say so.

Trick plays
require two things: Offensive players smart enough to execute them, and
defensive players who break their defensive assignment. That's why you see
more trick plays in high school than in college, and more in college than you in
the pros. It isn't because coaches aren't sophisticated or smart or
not from California, it is because defensive players at each level are more
disciplined at reading keys and sticking to their assignments.

BTW,
did you proof your post? Did you realize you said Anae must not be all that hot
because he was only an assistant between stints at BYU, yet your argument was
that guys who can't even make it as college assistants are smarter than
Anae? Your friends can't be high school coaches because there is more
money in it, because they coach in CA, not Texas.

I could make an argument regarding the term 'marquee position' but
will leave that for another time. I think Van Noy has a chance to finish a
great career this year and move on to the next level, he is an outstanding
talent and has been a marquee player the past two years.

This is all real nice coverage of the "D" and how powerful they will be
this fall. I hope they are in-shape because they will be on the field a lot.

The real emphasis should be focused on the "O" line and how
shallow and inexperienced the skill level is. I hope the JUCO talent adds
significant depth to the already extremely vulnerable "O" line
positions. I am Crossing my fingers for the 2013 season.